As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional liquid crystal display watch 1 includes a case body 10, a transparent case front 12, a module 14 and a case back 16. The module 14 is an integral unit which includes a battery (not separately shown) for power, a printed circuit board (not separately shown) to control a display and a liquid crystal display 15.
There is an ongoing need for liquid crystal displays 15 which are easier to read and aesthetically pleasing. Some convention liquid crystal displays can be difficult to read because of their small size. Some conventional liquid crystal displays can be difficult to read because of a relatively low degree of contrast between the liquid crystal display characters and the background.
FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of the case body 10. The peripheral wall 18 of the case body 10 is relatively thick, in order to provide sufficient strength and rigidity, and also to allow a tight connection (such as a sealed watertight gasket) to the case back 16. Furthermore, the thick peripheral wall 18 can help to support button structures (not shown) which are disposed through the peripheral wall.
Conventionally, watches, such as watch 1, are constructed by performing the following steps in the following order: (1) the transparent case front 12 is sealed to the case body 14, (2) the module 16 is inserted in the opening 20 in the back (non-viewing) side of the case body, and (3) the case back 16 is sealed over the opening 20.
The area of the liquid crystal display is limited by the size of the opening 20. More specifically, because the peripheral wall 18 is thick, the opening 20 and the liquid crystal display 15 disposed within the opening 20 are substantially smaller then the profile of the case body 10. Of course, the smaller the display 15, the more difficult it is to read. Also, smaller displays 15 may be considered less aesthetically pleasing.
Corner cutting is one conventional accommodation made in order to provide a larger display relative to the outer profile of case body. In a corner cut watch, the corners of the opening in the case body and the module are chamfered. One drawback of corner cut watches is that the chamfered case body and module are generally more expensive to produce.